A system that executes remote activation is a system in which a remote activating device transmits an activation signal to a device to be activated, and the device that receives the activation signal activates itself. For example, a user of a personal computer (PC) can activate a printer at a remote position by transmitting the activation signal from the PC to the printer.
As the system that executes remote activation, a system has been known in which a remove activating device and a device to be activated are provided with dedicated communication interfaces for performing transmission and reception of an activation signal.
For example, the remote activating device and the device to be activated include a high-speed, high-power consumption communication interface and a low-speed, low-power consumption communication interface. The high-speed, high-power consumption interface is used for data communication, and the low-speed, low-power consumption interface is used as a communication interface only for an activation signal use (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. JP2009-129242). According to the system, the communication interface dedicated for the activation signal use is provided. Accordingly, while the activation signal is awaited, the device to be remotely activated can activate the low-speed, low-power consumption communication interface used only for activation signal and suspend the high-speed, high-power consumption data communication interface. As a result, power consumption can be reduced.
However, the interfaces may be different in communication coverage or communication quality (for example, a radio wave interference resistance level) when a plurality of communication interfaces having such different characteristics are used as described. Thus, it is difficult to perform remote activation in the system in which the activation signal dedicated interface is provided as in the prior art, since there may be a case where communication can not be performed via the activation signal dedicated interface although communication can be performed via the other interface.
According to a remote activating device and a remotely started device of the present invention, remote activation can be reliably executed at low power consumption.